“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)
Require. This is not a suggestion, this is what you are supposed to do, it matters not your feelings on the matter at hand, nor on the circumstances that have presented themselves, what you are to do is what you have been told to do, there is nothing debatable in this verse.
To love mercy. On who, the individual or the masses? If there is a known serial killer in your midst, who are you to have mercy upon, him while allowing him to continue unrestrained by his impulses, or the masses, protecting them and doing all that is possible to remove the threat to their lives?
This one seems simple, yet the world we live in has nothing of the Scriptures involved in their thinking in these matters, if captured, the one in question is not immediately and permanently removed from society as Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” But instead, the laws of man are enacted. A terrible childhood, a convoluted mind frame, despised by all who met him, they will attempt to defend this individual and then call upon certain parts of the Scriptures, the point of mercy to attempt to justify, “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exo. 20:13)
Should all receive mercy? “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Romans 9:15)
To do justly. Let’s keep this same subject matter in view here, is it just to allow this known killer to remain at large? Of course not, but what is doing justly? Again, the laws of man supersede the Word of God among the lost, as one would expect, and so then justice is based upon the moral construct of their desires, of how they want to be seen in the public’s eyes, or at best a consortium of moral constructs have been set up, differing in every nation. A level of punishment dependent upon the infraction is the way of man. It is why I chose the serial killer as subject matter, one who will not stop until he is stopped by others. To do justly is rarely justice in the world of man, this should be self-evident to you.
The reason is quite simple to even the lost in these cases, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) Vengeance to them is the taking of a life, and because they do not understand grace, they live by works, thinking that the Lord will look favorably upon them when their ideology of justice, to do justly, if they spare the evil one who is guilty, in whatever form the laws they have enacted require of them.
The Pharisees that heard the Lord Jesus Christ speak knew what was required of them, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17) But to those who would not listen He said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) No pleading with them, no laws could change their hearts, no mercy, only the justice of the Almighty.
Sadly, even in the lives of many who are born-again, mercy and justice are interchangeable in their minds, even unto a point of misunderstanding what it is that should receive the greater punishment. You do not enact the swift judgment of death for someone who steals or for the serial killer, to them that is not mercy, and so evil men are emboldened, and the Christian does little more than agree with the laws of the nation they live in.
This may all seem as nothing more than an analogy to you of a man who kills at will, a serial killer, but if you will contemplate it, you will see what it truly is, the leading up to this false notion that the overriding attribute of God is love, and the false notion that we are to hate the sin but love the sinner.
And where has it led us to? “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12) Why else would iniquity abound unless evil was not immediately punished?
What was once a grave sin against the Most High just a few short years ago is now seen as a lite thing, nothing more than the expression of the individual, and in no way should be hindered or even spoken against. In fact, new laws are being enacted against those that do.
The serial killer, will he be pardoned? A few years ago that would be inconceivable, what has come to pass in these days that we live in that would have been inconceivable to you just a few moths ago? “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” (Psalm 94:16)
